Berthiaume Hoping For His Crowning Moment
Without actually winning a Breeders Crown race, Quebec owner Richard Berthiaume has done very well in the event since 2007.
Two seconds and two thirds in Breeders Crown finals with trotters Yursa Hanover and Oh Sweet Baby, and pacer Voelz Hanover have brought in $358,000. And Berthiaume expects the total will grow again Saturday after the $591,240 final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, despite the fact his horse Murmur Hanover will start from post nine and is 25-1 in the morning line.
“I see us in the top three,” said Berthiaume. “It’s not an easy race, but he’s a big horse, he can leave, and they’ve made a few adjustments after his break [Saturday] in the elimination.”
Murmur Hanover needed to beat two horses in the elimination to make it into the final. He finished ahead of only one after his untimely break on the final turn, but drew in when fifth-place finisher Pine Credit was scratched.
The Majestic Son colt has seven top-two finishes in 12 starts and $343,509 banked this season. He hasn’t been that far back of division leader Wheeling N Dealin, losing by two lengths in the $462,000 William Wellwood and four lengths in the Champlain Stakes, and Berthiaume expects he’ll turn the tables one of these times.
First race post time for Saturday’s Breeders Crown card is 6:30 p.m. The Score, Canada’s all-sports channel, will carry the $6 million Breeders Crown championships live from Woodbine Racetrack from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (EDT) and the broadcast will also be streamed live on MavTV in the U.S.
Entries for Saturday night's star-studded card of harness racing at Woodbine are available at the following link: Saturday Woodbine Entries.
Program pages are available here through TrackIT. An easy-to-read program is available here.
Think you know who will win Saturday's Breeders Crown races? Enter the Breeders Crown Fantasy Pool. It's easy to enter, free to play and you could win a $100 gift card for the racetrack of your choice. Click here to enter the contest.
(Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)